Lady Moon
by gods sent angel
Summary: FQF challenge that I never did. Sirius discovers Remus is a werewolf first.


One of our puppies sing. One of our puppies plays an instrument. So our puppies decide to "play" together. Think SMUT (and Winter Winner).

First Year

Sirius stared at the fluffy snow flakes falling to the school grounds from his perch on the sill of his dormitory room's window. Around him were beds filled with his sleeping classmates. He glanced around the room, mentally identifying every bed and its occupant and assuring himself they were all asleep. The bed beside him on the left was empty – his own bed which he was at moment abandoning for his moonlit seat. Across from that was James Potter's bed. He and James were just beginning to become friends now that the year was underway and Sirius found he had instantly taken a liking to him. Next to Jame's bed on the right was Peter Pettigrew's bed. The boy wasn't nearly as fun as James, but he was alright. Sirius could hear soft snoring from Peter's bed and grinned slightly for a brief second. Peter always swore he didn't snore. Bringing his attention back around to his side of the room he looked at the bed on his right. It was empty, testifying to the fact that one Remus Lupin wasn't with them that night. Sirius recalled him saying something about being asked to go home for a few days. Remus always seemed to go home or be sick, he noted; at least once a month. He sighed under his breath, turning back to stare at the falling snow and the full moon hanging above. This troubling fact was what had him up tonight.

He couldn't sleep. He had been wondering about the curious behavior of his room mate for a while now and the thought was niggling at his brain. The solitary beauty of the night had always helped him think, and this was what brought him to the window sill tonight. He didn't want the others to think he'd gone spare, though; talking to the moon and stars as if they were trusted confidants who could answer him. They were trusted confidants to him, and sometimes he truly felt they did answer, but he figured this was better kept to himself. He sighed again, leaning back on the window sill as if it were nestling him in comfortingly. Where was Remus? What was going on with the boy? He looked pleadingly at the moon.

_I wish you could tell me_, he thought to it, directing his very thoughts as he would his voice if he didn't fear waking somebody and being discovered. Drawing one knee into his chest and wrapping his arm loosely around it so as not to compress his diaphragm too much he relaxed. _Is he hurt?_ He asked more anxiously of his Lady, the moon. The satellite didn't answer him, though if anyone could have seen inside Sirius' mind they would have known he felt her reassure him. He noted that it wasn't a reassurance that everything was alright: just a reassurance. _Don't let him be hurt_, he implored silently. Settling back a little bit more he began singing softly to himself, chancing being heard.

"Hello darkness, my old friend," he nearly whispered. No one stirred in the room, so he continued just as soft. "I've come to talk to you again." He trailed off into humming for the remainder of the verse and then stopped, the last note lingering in the back of his throat for a moment before he shook it off and moved back towards his bed. The moon wasn't going to give him any more answers and he had classes in the morning he should probably be awake for. Snuggling in he cast one last request for his newest friend's safety and began to fall asleep.

It had been five months since his first moonlit council on the subject of one Remus Lupin. The full moon once again turned its face to him to listen as he begged the answers of his friend's secret from it. And as usual it merely assured him, though of nothing. Sighing and leaning back on the window sill he noted with barely conscious interest that this seemed so much like de'ja vu.

_Well of course,_ he snorted at himself mentally. _I've been doing this for the last five months._ Still, something niggled at his mind. Something he was sure he should be remembering but couldn't. He thought about it for a moment, trying to think of what it could be. Finally he gave up and crawled into bed, drifting off so he would be rested up for making hell tomorrow with James.

It was May, and the full moon shown beautifully on the school grounds bellow; illuminating the beautiful spring life that was currently sleeping, just as Sirius should be. He wasn't, of course: once again up trying to discover the reason for his friend's disappearance. He sat in the self-proclaimed window seat, telling the moon his heart. How he hoped the other boy was okay and how worried he was about this whole vanishing nonsense. Who gets called home every month when they were at Hogwarts? And the timing was always so erratic, yet oddly prearranged. Like it was on some schedule no one else knew about.

_Like it was because of you_, he told the moon. And then he stopped, eyes widening. That was it. That was the unknown factor, the one that marched to its own timing but was always so precise. He thought back and it was true: Remus was only ever absent on the day of the full moon and a few days after. _But now the question is, what does that mean?_ He pondered. The moon just smiled at him, telling him to be patient in its own, silent voice.

Sirius hurried down the halls, looking for Remus. It had taken him almost a month to find what he was looking for, but now he was sure of what kept Remus away on the full moons. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it first, but no matter. No one knew he'd been obsessing over this question for over half the school year, so no need for them to know it had taken him an entire lunar cycle to find the answer. Tonight was the full moon again – he was now beginning to count time consciously, as he had been unconsciously for months now, by the moon – and he had to ask Remus if he was right before he left. He hurried into the common room and looked around. Remus was in his usual spot on the sofa in front of the fire place. Grinning like a madman, Sirius made his way to the sandy blonde's side. Remus hardly looked up from his book as his black haired friend leaned over him.

"The answer is no, whatever it is," he said, not even bothering to wait until Sirius said anything.

"Nice, Remus, but I think you want to hear the question first," Sirius replied, used to this response. The first few times he'd thought Remus might have been reading his mind, but he had dismissed the notion after playing Twenty Questions with the other lad. Remus was horrible at that game.

"Alright," Remus answered, shutting his book and looking up into Sirius face with a set expression of 'you only _think_ the answer will be different'. "I'm listening."

Sirius looked around the room nervously. If he was right, he didn't want to let the world know. It could be devastating for Remus. There were a few other people hanging around the commons and turning back to Remus he shook his head.

"Not here," he said. "Can we go somewhere private?" He noticed Remus face paled a bit, and fear flashed across his eyes ever so briefly, but before Sirius could think much of it the look was gone and his complexion had returned. Remus moved to stand and Sirius backed away so he wouldn't get hit in the nose by him.

"Sure," Remus agreed, stretching his back. "Where to?"

"You look like an old man when you do that," Sirius complained, wrinkling his nose. "How about our room?" He knew James and Peter were in detention, so it was a safe, empty place right now. Easy to get to, too. Remus nodded and headed up the stairs, closely followed by Sirius.

When they got to the room, Remus headed towards his bed and sat down, turning to face Sirius who had just shut the door and was walking towards him. Sirius opened his mouth to blurt out his finding and then thought better of it. Obviously it was sensitive, or else Remus would have told them himself and not made Sirius go about snooping it out. Alright, books weren't really snooping, but Sirius figured research counted for him. He debated ways to break it easily, but seeing that Remus was starting to get worried again he decided to just say it anyways. He wasn't known for his tact to begin with. Well, maybe sometimes, but not right now.

"Remus," he asked conversationally. "You always go home every month, and was just thinking. Y'know, you always leave on the full moon. So..erm..well, I was wondering…" Remus was beginning to look like he was about to hyperventilate as Sirius sat down in front of him and looked him straight in the eye. "Is your mum a were?" he asked sympathetically. All the fear that had been building up inside Remus turned to confusion.

"What?" he squawked awkwardly.

"Well," Sirius explained, "you always go home on the full moon. I figured one of your family members was a were. Probably a wolf - since you look so wolfy - but it could be any were. I'm not going to get mad or anything, I just want to know. You can tell me." Remus looked like he had been pinned in a corner and Sirius backed away. It had to be hard to just all of a sudden be found out, he figured. He knew if his parents had found out something like this they would have gone to Remus' home and killed the whole lot. But he wasn't like that. He hoped Remus realized it, though. Remus calmed down a little bit after Sirius backed away. With a ragged sigh he replied.

"Well," he said nervously. "I guess you found out. I'm sorry, I'll leave if you want me to. I'll—"

"Remus, what are you talking about?" said Sirius, stopping him. "I'm okay with it. Honest, I don't mind at all. I mean, come on, weres are people too. I don't hate you because your mum gets a little hairy tonight."

"It's not my mum," Remus replied, though he did seem a bit more relaxed.

"Well some one in your family, then," Sirius corrected. Remus looked about to say something then changed his mind.

"Yeah," he mumbled softly. "Somebody." Sirius grinned, moving to sit beside his friend and clap him on the back.

"Well anyway," he continued, "go take care of your mum or who ever it is. I'll take notes for you so you don't have to worry about rushing back." Remus gaped at him. Sirius figured it was because he said he'd take notes.

"You're really okay with it?" he asked tentatively. "You're not shitting me so you can go tell the whole school or anything, are you?"

"Of course I'm okay with it," Sirius replied. "And I won't tell a soul. Not even James if you don't want me to." Remus smiled shyly.

"I'd really prefer it if you didn't tell him," he nodded, "or anyone else. I'm sure you can understand."

"Got it," Sirius smiled. "Not a soul." Remus relaxed a bit more, turning those thankful golden eyes to him with a soft smile.

"Thank you." He sighed. Then he stood and left.


End file.
